Συγκεντρωτικά στοιχεία για τη φοίτηση μαθητών στα τμήματα ένταξης της πρωτοβάθμιας και δευτεροβάθμιας εκπαίδευσης μεταξύ των ετών 2017-2021

Abstract

The majority of students with disabilities and/or special education needs in Greece enrolled in inclusion classes leave their mainstream classrooms to cooperate with qualified teachers who implement intervention programmes in another classroom for up to 15 hours per week (common and specialized programmes), while a small percentage is supported more than 15 hours per week (extended program). The type of programme is decided by the public service in charge called ‘Centers of Interdisciplinary Assessment, Counseling and Support’ (CIACS). Students without a formal statement of special educational needs and/or disabilities can also be enrolled in inclusion classes at the suggestion of the teachers. This study initially examined the number of students with and/or without a formal statement of special education need and/or disabilities enrolled in Greek inclusion classes from 2017 to 2021. Afterwards, the study focused on the number of students who attended either a ‘common and specialized program’ or an ‘extended program’. All the data were provided by the Greek Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs. The results revealed a statistically significant decrease during the last two school years in the total number of the enrolled students, in the number of students with a formal statement of special educational needs and/or disabilities, as well as in the number of the students who attended the common and specialized programmes. Finally, there was a significant decrease in the number of students who attended the extended programme in primary education in the two last years, while the number of students in secondary education fluctuated. The findings raise concerns about the evolution of inclusion classes, which are reported to be crucial for inclusive education policy in Greece. More specifically, the observed decrease in the number of students in the last two years, regardless of the educational level enrolled or the existence of formal statement of disability and/or special educational needs, may indicate the reluctance of more and more students to leave the mainstream classroom. However, such an argument is particularly precarious due to the changes in the daily school attendance caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, it would be very useful to study this trend in the near future to ascertain if the hypothesis is correct. On the other hand, the pull-out from the mainstream classroom for many hours per week, which may exceed 50% of the weekly schedule for a small but not insignificant percentage of students enrolled, indicated that conservative models which correspond more to integration rather than inclusion have prevailed in Greek education. Such an approach is anachronistic and it might be the right time to start a debate on the need for a progressive change that will focus on the systematic implementation of differentiated instruction, as well as the provision of in-class support when necessary.